The Dukakis campaign scheduled a network television ad on the theme starting today. The ad criticizes Republican George Bush’s proposal to put Quayle, his running mate, in charge of the nation’s war on drugs.

The ad says cocaine traffic rose 300 percent, drugs in the schools increased and ″Panamanian drug lord Noriega (was) kept on the government payroll″ while Bush himself was in charge of the Reagan administration effort to stem the flow of drugs into this country.

″And now George Bush wants to put Dan Quayle in charge for the next four years,″ the ad says, showing a debate clip of Quayle saying he’ll be coordinating the drug effort. ″If George Bush couldn’t handle the job, how do you think Dan Quayle is gonna do?″ the ad concludes.

The Dukakis offensive came a day after Bush began airing an ad telling viewers the Massachusetts governor has opposed ″virtually every defense system we developed,″ a charge the Dukakis campaign says is false.

The Bush ad shows a helmeted Dukakis riding a tank, a campaign appearance that was designed to counter his anti-military image but ended up backfiring with voters.

″He opposed new aircraft carriers. He opposed anti-satellite weapons. He opposed four missile systems, including the Pershing 2 missile deployment. Michael Dukakis opposed the Stealth bomber and a ground emergency warning system against nuclear attack. He even criticized our rescue mission to Grenada and our strike on Libya,″ the ad says. ″Now he wants to be our commander-in-chief. America can’t afford that risk.″

Dukakis spokeswoman Lorraine Voles called the spot ″just more distortions from the Bush campaign.″ She said Dukakis did not oppose the actions in Libya and Grenada and supports the Stealth bomber and the Trident 2 sea-based missile.

He opposes two missile systems, the Midgetman and the mobile MX, but has said he would ″work with Congress to find a sensible, affordable way to maintain the effectiveness of the land-based leg of the defense triad,″ Voles said.

She said Dukakis also supports the development of a new advanced tactical fighter and nuclear attack submarines.

Since Friday the Dukakis campaign has been running two ads nationwide - both of them low-key, relatively positive spots featuring Dukakis talking directly into the camera about family concerns and America’s international economic status.

Bush has been running two network ads that tout his international experience. One says he ″led the way″ on the recent U.S.-Soviet arms reduction treaty, and the other says he would be ready immediately after taking office to negotiate with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev while Dukakis would have to be trained for the job.

Both campaigns continued to run regional television advertising, much of it focused on crime and environmental issues in key states such as California and Texas. And Dukakis began a new series of economic spots in Ohio, all three produced by Jerry Austin, who managed Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign.

The new spots, which may be used elsewhere in the Midwest, focus on Dukakis’ plan to help families buy their first homes, the loss of U.S. jobs to foreign workers, and Bush’s record as chairman of a commission examining U.S.-Japanese trade relations.

Both campaigns are planning television drives to woo Hispanic voters, the Dukakis ads scheduled to start this week in high-intensity Hispanic areas. Bush also plans a large TV drive aimed at Hispanic voters closer to the Nov. 8 election.